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Immediate fate of angled-and-released Australian bass Macquaria novemaculeata

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Abstract

The prevalence of catch-and-release factors known to adversely affect the mortality or physical condition of Australian bass Macquaria novemaculeata were surveyed across a range of anglers throughout impoundments and rivers in New South Wales. Subsamples of tournament-caught fish were also monitored in tanks for 1 h after being weighed to quantify immediate mortalities and sublethal physical damage. Most fish were caught on actively fished artificial baits, and were mouth hooked (96%), which resulted in no immediate mortality amongst monitored fish and a low frequency of mortality-causing factors in surveys. However, fish that were weighed-in during tournaments often had fin damage (52% of fish) and/or barotrauma (25% of fish, in impoundments only), and were held in live wells with poor water-quality. The prevalence of these sublethal effects varied considerably according to the specific seasons, locations, rules and procedures of each tournament; but could not be reliably attributed to any of the recorded catch-and-release variables (except for dissolved oxygen, which was significantly influenced by live-well volume). While these results validate the current release of angled Australian bass as a means of conserving their stocks, the potential for adverse effects could nevertheless be minimised via simple changes to conventional handling.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the New South Wales (NSW) Recreational Fishing Trusts, Industry and Investment NSW and the University of New England (UNE), and approved by the Industry and Investment NSW Animal Care and Ethics Committee (no. 03/12) and the UNE Animal Research Authority (no. 08/072). The authors would also like to thank the tournament organisers and anglers for their cooperation; Steve Smith for academic assistance; Craig Brand, Shane McGrath, Milan Duwenhogger, Danielle Williams and FishCare volunteers for technical assistance; and two anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, National Marine Science Centre, P.O. Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2450, Australia

    Christopher E. Dowling

  2. Industry and Investment NSW, Fisheries Conservation Technology Unit, P.O. Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2450, Australia

    Karina C. Hall & Matt K. Broadhurst

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  1. Christopher E. Dowling
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  2. Karina C. Hall
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Correspondence to Christopher E. Dowling.

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Handling editor: M. Power

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Dowling, C.E., Hall, K.C. & Broadhurst, M.K. Immediate fate of angled-and-released Australian bass Macquaria novemaculeata . Hydrobiologia 641, 145–157 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-0073-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-009-0073-6

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